Investing in Earth’s forests is one of the most immediate and cost-effective ways to fight climate change.

Conservation International’s Carbon Fund invests in sustainable landscapes that help combat climate change by reducing deforestation and conserving critical ecosystem services — the services we need to grow and prosper as a society. These include food and timber, as well as clean water, livable climates, recreation and renewable forms of energy.

These multiple outcomes are achieved through the development of a strong pipeline of demonstration projects coupled with innovative financing and mechanisms meant to ensure long-term sustainability and private sector participation. The fund focuses on results-based financing to develop early stage forest conservation projects, including REDD+​ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation "plus" conservation) and complementary activities, such as efficient fuel wood use and improved agricultural practices.

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EditText:CI has developed the largest portfolio of forest carbon projects since the Carbon Fund’s launch in 2009, having raised more than
US$ 30 million to build local partner capabilities and support more than
20 projects in 12 countries.

These projects are directly benefiting more than
10,000 people through improved livelihoods, health and education, and have already reduced more than
6 million metric tons of CO2 emissions — the equivalent of taking more than 1 million cars off the road for a year.

Independent verification of the results and use of best-in-class standards ensure that the rigor and innovation from global carbon markets are applied to conservation projects.

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EditText:CI’s Carbon Fund supports projects that are located in and around key biodiversity areas and that meet the
Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) Standards — which CI co-founded to ensure project quality and net positive impact on the environment and communities. These REDD+ projects go beyond protecting forests by integrating sustainable production and focusing on improving human well-being.

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EditCaption Description:The Alto Mayo Conservation Initiative is CI’s first independently verified REDD+ project and the world’s first REDD+ project in a protected area. Between 2009 and 2012, this program reduced carbon emissions by 2,500,000 metric tons — that’s like taking 500,000 cars off the road for an entire year.

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EditCaption Description:By working directly with local people to reduce deforestation in the forests of Madagascar, CI is using carbon revenues to finance livelihood opportunities and to fund community development projects.

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EditText:The SLP is an innovative public-private partnership that brings together governments, businesses and NGOs to develop proof-of-concept REDD+ and low emissions development projects. Through the SLP, CI is working to create a low-carbon development scheme that can conserve the forest and the wildlife it contains.

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EditCaption Title:Smart Development and Sustainable Farming in Northern Sumatra

EditCaption Description:In Indonesia — the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG) — CI, USAID and the Walton Family Foundation are working with the Ministry of Forestry and local governments to implement new development models that do not come at the expense of the country’s natural wealth.

EditText: CI is a partner in the
Althelia Climate Fund, which brings much-needed private sector investment to projects that reduce deforestation as an integral part of global efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. Althelia investments focus on sustainable land use projects that deliver environmental benefits as well as economic benefits that improve the livelihoods of forest communities while generating a positive economic return.

EditImage Description: This windmill is used to power the Maruanau village's water pump and bring potable water to the community in the Eastern Kanuku Mountains, Guyana. The community is without electricity.

EditText: Low emissions business models are those that by their very nature do not depend on unsustainable resource extraction to generate economic value. CI invests in businesses that support, rather than undermine, native forests, such as those that reduce demand for fuelwood or provide village-level renewable energy solutions.

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Partners

Partnering with local organizations is a key element of CI’s Carbon Fund approach.

Current partners include:

Dell, which partnered with CI-Madagascar to develop the Ambositra-Vondrozo Corridor (COFAV) project that seeks to conserve and restore 240,000 hectares of rainforest and avoid the emission of more than 5,000,000 metric tons of CO2 over the project life cycle.

FIJI Water, which partnered with CI’s Carbon Fund to develop a landmark reforestation project on degraded lands in Fiji that seeks to sequester hundreds of thousands of tons of CO2 and provide alternative livelihoods to local communities.

The government of Indonesia, which partnered with CI as a founding member of the SLP.

The government of Madagascar, which partnered with CI to develop a strategy of establishing an avoided deforestation carbon project in the Ankeniheny-Zahamena Corridor (CAZ).

USAID, which partnered with CI as a founding member of the SLP (Indonesia and Peru).

Walton Family Foundation, which partnered with CI as a founding member of the SLP.

Disney, which donated up-front funding for the development of the Alto Mayo Conservation Initiative as part of its overall commitment to reduce its carbon emissions.

Crius Energy, which partners with the Carbon Fund in off-grid solar electrification and ecosystem restoration programs.

We are also looking for corporate, multilateral and major donor partners to support the Carbon Fund in developing sustainable landscapes. Corporate partners can contribute philanthropic funding to the project development fund or structure contributions as part of a corporate greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategy. Contributions or offset-related financing of the Fund will achieve the following objectives:

Generate a supply of marketable forest carbon credits which can be used for corporate emissions reduction initiatives from a diverse and geographically dispersed portfolio of projects.

Provide compelling corporate social responsibility branding opportunities in key countries by demonstrating the triple bottom line results of reducing emissions, contributing to economic development and protecting biodiversity.